Title: Better English Pronunciation for Communication A Practical Course for Students of English Wang Guizhen Faculty of English Language
1Better English Pronunciation for
CommunicationA Practical Course for Students
of EnglishWang GuizhenFaculty of English
Language CultureGuangdong University of
Foreign Studies
2Lecture II The Rhythmic Structure of English
- Rhythm and stress
- Rhythm and the length of sounds
- Rhythm and sound linking
- Rhythm and assimilation
- Rhythm and weak forms
3Revision
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5English vowels vowel classification
- The English pure vowels can be classified
according to - the height of the raised part of the tongue
- the part of the tongue raised
- the position of the lips
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7front
central
back
high/close
mid-high/half-close
mid-low/half-open
low/open
8front
central
back
high
i
u
I
?
mid-high
?
e
?
?
mid-low
?
?
a
æ
low
Vowel Charts English Pure Vowels
9bot
b
10English Consonants Consonant Classification
- The English consonants can be classified
according to - place of articulation
- manner of articulation
- voicing, i.e. voiced or voiceless
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12English Consonants
Place of articulation Manner of articulation Bilabial Labio- Dental Dental Alveolar Palato- alveolar Palatal Velar Glotal
Plosive (?) (?) p b t d k g
Fricative (?) (?) f v ? ð s z ? ? h
Affricate (?) (?) ? ?
Nasal m n ?
Lateral l
Approximant w r j
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14Reading Practice
- I shall have to try and get some cash from our
bank at lunchtime. Then we can let them have the
money that they want as soon as they like. What
are they asking us to pay them?
15Reading Practice
- I shall have to try and get some cash from our
bank at lunchtime. Then we can let them have the
money that they want as soon as they like. What
are they asking us to pay them? (15/41)
16Part II The Rhythmic Structure of English
- Rhythm and stress
- Rhythm and the length of sounds
- Rhythm and sound linking
- Rhythm and assimilation
- Rhythm and weak forms
17s
18Prototypical languages
70
Dutch
British English
60
Variability Index
German
50
French
40
30
Spanish
20
19English Stress Rhythm
- How did you manage to keep so calm
- secs.33 .33 .33 .33 .33 .33 .5 .5
1.0 ? - secs.5 .25 .25 .5 .25 .25 .67 .33
1.0
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21Read aloud the following sentences
- Who is coming to the birthday party?
- 2. England was at war with America.
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24 Whos coming to
the birthday par-
ty?
By a non-native speaker of English.
Whos coming
to the birthday par-
ty?
By a native speaker of English.
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26(No Transcript)
27(No Transcript)
28 was
at war Fig 11 was at war in the
sentence England was at war with America. --
(By non-native speaker of English)
29 was
at war Fig 12 was at war in
the sentence England was at war with America.
-- (By native speaker of English)
30Amptitude
was
at war
Fig was at war in the sentence England was at
war with America.
-- (By
non-native speaker of English)
Amptitude
was
at war Fig
was at war in the sentence England was at war
with America.
-- (By native
speaker of English)
31I. Rhythm and stress
- Sentence stress has two main functions
- 1. To indicate the important words in the
sentence - 2. To serve as the basis for the rhythmical
- structure of the sentence.
32- Ex. 1 Content words are usually stressed and
function - words unstressed
- I called her at home, but she was at school.
- Keep her from moving so I can take her
picture. - Nothing happened to Ted during the storm.
- Take it or leave it the choice is up to you.
- Ex. 2 Content words are not always stressed
- -- Hello, I'm John. What's your name?
- -- My name's Frank. I'm Simon Brown's cousin.
Where do you live? - -- Next door to the Browns'. Where do you live?
33Ex. 3 The following sentences contain the same
amount of stressed syllables. Read them at a
steady, regular speed.
- He asked me to give him a ticket.
- He should ask if we could give him a ticket.
34Ex. 4 Give suitable answers to the three
questions you hear.
- i) (No.) It's on the twenty-first.
- ii) I've got a ticket.
- iii) (No.) She sells clothes.
- iv) (No.) He's got a cold.
- v) (Yes.) (No.) We're not going till Thursday
night.
35Ex. 5 Respond to the two different things you
hear.
- i) He's got a new car.
- ii) I've got some flowers.
- iii) I've been to Paris.
- iv) Then I'll have some soup.
- v) He said he'd phone.
36II. Rhythm and the length of sounds
- 1. Vowels are longer when final or followed by a
voiced consonant than when followed by a
voiceless consonant. - 2. Vowels are longer in stressed monosyllables
than when followed by an unstressed syllable or
syllables. - 3. Vowels are longer in stressed syllables than
in unstressed syllables.
37Table 3 Length of /i/ in different phonetic
contexts in accented monosyllables
38III. Rhythm and sound linking
- 1. To blend or join the final consonant of one
word with the initial word of the following word,
as in "post?office". - 2. To link the final vowels /?/ and /?/ to a
following vowel by adding the /r/ sound, which is
called linking-r, as in "her own", or
intrusive-r, as in "the idea?of". - 3. To make smooth transitions when words are
separated by more than two consonants, i.e. treat
them as consonant sequences, as in "next?topic". - 4. To make smooth transitions when the preceding
word ends with a vowel and the following word
begins also with a vowel sound by adding a slight
/j/ or /w/, as in "my?arm,how often . - 5. To change the pronunciation of some final and
initial consonants, as in "Did?you ".
39Ex. 6 Write down the phrases you hear.
- 1. ______________ 2. ______________
- 3. ______________ 4. ______________
- 5. ______________ 6. ______________
- 7. ______________ 8. ______________
40- Key Ex. 6
- What of it?
- 2. Its after nine already.
- 3. Come on in.
- 4. They looked as if theyre angry.
- 5. How much is it?
- 6. Are you sure about all of it?
- 7. Shes on the phone.
- 8. If its time, Ill go.
41Ex. 7 Read the following dialogues, paying
special attention to the linking.
- 1.
- -- Can?I help?you, sir?
- --Yes, I'm?in?a rush I'm?afraid. Can?I have?a
piece?of? apple cake please, with?icecream? - -- Certainly, sir. I'll?ask the waiter to
come?over?as soon?as possible. - 2.
- -- Switch?off the light, David.
It's?almost?eleven. - -- I'm scared?of the dark. I think?I heard?a
noise. Look? over there! Something?on the window
ledge?is moving!
42- 3.
- -- How?often do?I have to do?it?
- -- You?ought to do?every?exercise once?a week.
- -- Do?I have to do?every?exercise?
- -- Yes, it should take?you?about two?hours.
Though?I don't suppose?it will! - 4.
- -- Actually, I?ought to practise more regularly?I
suppose. - -- Well, don't worry?about?it. I?often forget
myself. - -- Perhaps we?ought to try?and go together.
43- 5.
- -- How?is?it going, Edward?
- -- Not bad?at?all. It's not?exactly?a busy place
though. - -- Where?are you staying?
- -- Just?a little pub?on the?edge?of town.
- -- And what?are you doing?on your?own?
- -- Not?a lot?actually. This?evening there's?a
match? on TV, so?I'll get?a snack?in town?and
watch?a bit?of football?afterwards.
44IV. Rhythm and Assimilation and Elision
- 1) ________________ 2) _________________
- 3) ________________ 4) _________________
- 5) ________________ 6) _________________
45- Key Ex.
- 1. That man.
- 2. Of course.
- 3. Weve phoned him.
- 4. That goat.
- 5. Good morning.
- 6. I cant go.
46Ex. 8 Fill in the blanks with the words you hear.
- 1) They're ____________ aren't they?
- 2) I can't find mine. Can I ____________?
- 3) I ____________ it. Do you?
- 4) Everyone can see that it ____________.
- 5) ________so often if you can manage by
yourself. - 6) That's the ____________ to start.
- 7) This is his ____________.
- 8) ____________ looks nice.
47- Key Ex.8
- 1) They're _nice shoes__ aren't they?
- 2) I can't find mine. Can I ___use yours__?
- 3) I ___I dont believe___ it. Do you?
- 4) Everyone can see that it ___it cant be
done___. - 5) ___Dont go____ so often if you can manage by
yourself. - 6) That's the ___right place___ to start.
- 7) This is his __own car___.
- 8) __That cup__ looks nice.
48Ex. 9 Write down the words you hear.
- Dropping of vowels and consonants within a word
- 1) _______________ 2) _________________
- 3) _______________ 4) _________________
- Dropping of sounds at the word boundaries
- 1) _______________ 2) _________________
- 3) _______________ 4) _________________
49Key Ex. 9
- robbery
- nursery
- correct
- direction
- February
- suffering
- Get him a pen.
- Get another.
- Not alone.
- Take her along.
- He was annoyed.
- Rob him
50V. Rhythm and weak forms
- Ex. 10 Write down the phrases or sentences you
hear. - 1) ________________ 2) _________________
- 3) ________________ 4) _________________
- 5) ________________ 6) _________________
51Key Ex. 10
- 1 Thats our own.
- 2. Have you tried them all?
- 3. Itll get in the way of the door.
- 4. Its from overseas.
- 5. For at least one or two.
- 6. The only remark that was to the point.
52- 1. -- Give me a book now.
- -- Just a minute.
- 2. -- It's an orange that I'd like.
- -- I thought you were saying 'an apple'.
- 3. -- What is the old man doing?
- -- He's telling the children stories.
- 4. -- Somebody's going to take her home.
- -- Anything wrong with her?
- 5. -- I like his novels.
- -- I like his poems.
53- 2.Dialogue 2.wav
- A We all know that we face problems. We know
that we face difficulties. We are all aware that
the difficulties that we face are not
difficulties that will be overcome immediately,
or that will be overcome easily. We all
recognize that the problems that confront us are
not problems that will be solved overnight. But
I sometimes wonder if we realise if we realise
sufficiently that - B That that was the clock striking two, Frank!
Go to sleep! - A Sorry, dear. Didnt know it was so late. My
big day, tomorrow, you know. Ah, well.
Goodnight. - B Its a lovely speech, Frank.
54- We all know that we face problems. We know
that we face difficulties. We are all aware that
the difficulties that we face are not
difficulties that will be overcome immediately,
or that will be overcome easily. We all recognize
that the problems that confront us are not
problems that will be solved overnight. But I
sometimes wonder if we realise if we realise
sufficiently that
55Than you
Thank you.